st louise.

oh boy oh boy! new mail received. gulps, gasps, chokes.

Congratulations on your selection to the Undergraduate Intensive English Language Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. We would like to welcome you to the program which is being hosted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. We are calling the St. Louis program the "Community College English Language Institute." My name is Mirra Anson and I will be working with you and other program people here in St. Louis and the U.S. Department of State to make sure you have the best experience possible. We are excited to welcome you to St. Louis and hope that you have a wonderful experience here studying English language skills and experiencing American culture. Below are a few important details about your program. Please read each carefully.


1. Please read the attached Pre-Departure information. This contains important information about where you will be living, studying, what to bring with you to the U.S., and much more. If you are not able to open the attached file, you can also find the document on the following website: http://www.ciccel.org/ Once here, click on "Community College English Language Institute" on the menu on the left hand side to go to the program website.

2. You will be living in St. Louis, Missouri from mid January to mid March. Your travel arrangements are still in the process of being arranged so you will know the exact dates soon. Please watch for this information in the next few weeks. While this program is being hosted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis, you will actually be taking English language coursework at St. Louis Community College. Please visit their website at http://www.stlcc.edu/http://www.stlcc.edu/> and read the pre-departure student guide for more information on St. Louis Community College (and for more details about where you will be living).

3. In addition to studying English language at St. Louis Community College, you will experience American culture and especially cultural events and events in St. Louis, Missouri. Please visit http://www.explorestlouis.com/visitors/index.asp to learn more. Please know that you will be living in St. Louis during the winter months. Refer to the student pre-departure guide on how to prepare for the cold weather.

4. If you have a facebook account (or would like to sign up for one), you can join our student group. Here you can meet the other students in the program, ask more questions, and participate in a discussion board. Go to http://www.facebook.com/ and type in "Community College English Language Institute" into the search field and request to join. If you have problems finding the group, but would like to join, please send me an email (my contact information is below). Be sure to make your Facebook entries in English, since students are coming from 8 different countries!

I will be contacting you several times before you depart for the U.S., so please watch for my emails! There is more information we will need from you in the coming weeks. Also very soon, I would like to also introduce you to other people who you will meet and work with in St. Louis.

If you have any questions, please email me at MirraAnson@umsl.edu

I look forward to meeting you and again, congratulations and welcome to the Community College English Language Institute!


Mirra Anson

Grant Coordinator

University of Missouri-St. Louis

St. Louis, MO

MirraAnson@umsl.edu MirraAnson@umsl.edu> <